The Mantalia, often referred to as the "Milk plant", is a large species of tree (or bush) that is native to Mars. About 8 to 12 sofads in height, and covered in thick overhanging foliage, it can be found in groves along the dead sea bottoms, though solitary plants are known. It grows practically without water and, as the nickname implies, seems to distil a plentiful supply of milk-like sap from its trunk out of the products of the soil, the moisture of the air, and the rays of the sun, serving as a staple in the diets of the Green Martians. A single specimen of this species will give eight or ten quarts of milk per day (four gallons of highly nutritious milk a day, every day) from which the Barsoomian population then creates a solid substance of the consistency of cheese and almost tasteless, though slightly acid.
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